Rheinmetall Delivers First Series-Production Caracal Air Assault Vehicles to Germany and the Netherlands
Rheinmetall has delivered the first series-production Caracal air assault vehicles to the German and Dutch armed forces, the company said on 30 October 2026. The vehicles were handed over at a ceremony on 29 October at Rheinmetall Defence Nederland’s plant in Ede to Germany’s Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) and to the Dutch Ministry of Defence (Rheinmetall, Netherlands Ministry of Defence).
- Rheinmetall handed over the first series-production Caracal vehicles at Ede, the Netherlands, on 29 October 2026
- Recipients were Germany’s BAAINBw procurement office and the Dutch Ministry of Defence
- More than 1,500 vehicles are to be delivered to both armies by 2030, with 20 years of life-cycle support
- The 2023 framework covers up to 3,058 vehicles worth up to EUR 1.9 billion including VAT; the first firm order was for 1,508 vehicles (about EUR 870 million)
- The vehicle is built on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 464 military chassis and can be carried under a heavy-lift helicopter
What was delivered
Rheinmetall Landsysteme and Rheinmetall Defence Nederland handed over the first production vehicles; the Dutch ministry had already received one vehicle for driver training on 29 September. Rheinmetall said more than 1,500 vehicles will reach the Bundeswehr and the Dutch armed forces by 2030 and that the contract also covers 20 years of life-cycle support. Neither the company nor the ministry said how many vehicles were handed over this week.
The Dutch ministry said the vehicles are designed for rapid deployment with the Dutch Airmobile Brigade and Germany’s Rapid Forces Division (Division Schnelle Kräfte, DSK). The Dutch brigade has been under the command of the German division since 2014, and the ministry said fielding technically identical vehicles will strengthen that integration (Defensie).
What the Caracal is
The Caracal, designated “Einsatzsystem Luftlandeplattform” (airmobile platform) in Germany, is a light 4×4 vehicle built on the Mercedes-Benz G-Class 464 military chassis, the same chassis used for the Wolf 2. Armoured Car Systems (ACS) supplies the superstructure and Rheinmetall Defence Nederland carries out final assembly in Ede. In its basic configuration it carries four soldiers with their equipment, and it can be transported inside an aircraft or as an underslung load beneath a heavy-lift helicopter. Rheinmetall lists 28 equipment kits so far and says the ring mount can take MG5 machine guns, heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers or anti-tank weapons, with a second machine gun at the co-driver’s position; protection against mines and ballistic threats is modular. The Dutch ministry noted that the vehicle should not be confused with the H225M Caracal helicopter.
Previous developments
Germany and the Netherlands signed a multi-year framework contract with Rheinmetall in July 2023 for up to 3,058 Caracal vehicles, worth up to EUR 1.9 billion including VAT: up to 2,054 for Germany and up to 1,004 for the Netherlands. The first firm order under that framework covered 1,508 vehicles worth about EUR 870 million including VAT, and Germany funded its share from the Bundeswehr special fund. At the time Rheinmetall said series deliveries were planned to start in early 2025 (Rheinmetall, 2023); the first series vehicles have now been handed over in late October 2026.
Industry context
The programme is a bilateral buy from the outset, intended to give two closely integrated armies a common vehicle and a single logistics standard. For Rheinmetall it extends the company’s range into light 4×4 vehicles under 10 tonnes, a segment it described in 2023 as a growth market. The Netherlands is also renewing other parts of its land fleet; see our report on Dutch CV90 bridgelayers and armoured support vehicles.
Sources: Rheinmetall press releases of 10 July 2023 and 30 October 2026; Netherlands Ministry of Defence news release, 30 October 2026.
